Do You Ride Horses?

[Namikaze~Sin]

Got some beautiful new boots today, alongside half chaps and cream jodphurs, I look so smart! I feel like I wouldn't look too out of place at a show (well despite my weird hair colour) and it's good to have a bit of retail therapy in the form of horsey gear because I'm going through some emotional issues right now. Also I get to ride today which will be a good way to cheer me up, equine therapy!
Have to break in my new boots, but hopefully it shouldn't be too bad as they're very nice :3
http://brogini.com/Portals/0/Users/to38blk-a.jpg
Anyone else got any riding gear or tack they want to show off? I'd love to see :3

[Vanilla Twilight.]

One year ago I got my paint and now look at him! Critique on me please? I'm pretty sure I'm doing a few things wrong on the bottom picture and need to know how to improve!

[.Scarlet.]

@vanilla- wow! Your paint is sooo pretty!!! If anything I notice, in the top one your heels don't look like their down enough but it might just be the angle. Your arms look good and so does your seat. Such a pretty horse though:))

[equined]

Hi everyone, long time no see XD!
Please quote everything you want me to read as I don't have much time to look through all the pages!
I met my friend on a riding holiday 2 years ago, sadly she lives in Spain so its hard to see her and this weekend, guess what? She has come to see me! I was and still am so excited Today we went to my old riding school for a lesson, 'S' (my friend) had Candy and I had Widget!
Annoyingly the cows had been put in the paddock right next to the schooling area, YEAH, GREAT IDEA! I HAVE WIDGET! STUUUPIDDD! 'S' was amazing, but Widget was so hyper, the cows were bothering and spooking him, two girls decided to watch us and they were making a right racket!
We did our own warm ups and my instructor was being downright rude to me, she wasn't giving advice just shouting at me! My riding was quite messy as I was just concentrating on getting Widget calm and at a steady pace, didn't work anyway! lol
When it came to canter, I just wanted to die! Widget rushed his trot instead of going into canter, leaping across the school to get away from the cows! THEN.... the two girls sitting in the corner decided the crate was too uncomfortable, so just as soon as I cantered past, they threw the grates into the hedge, they knew Widget would find it scary but they did it anyway, ugh it made me so annoyed!
Charlie is doing great, he loves his jumping, I am hoping to travel around the other Cornish area with him and he is getting bored with our part of the area!
Sorry for disappearing ;-/!

[stirrupirons]

Just popping in really quick to make an announcement:
I RODE TODAY!!!!!
It was just walk/trot and leg yields, but it was amazing. I realized how big Thinker was lol but it felt so nice being back in the saddle. I couldn't stop smiling the entire time. I haven't gotten cleared by my dr yet, but I honestly do not care. I have an appointment Thursday, and I'm pretty sure he'll officially clear me. We went on a trail ride and even though Thinker is the worst trail horse ever it was still so much fun :) it's good to be back! I have to really work on him though because he was REALLY heavy in my hand and my hands were sore after I rode. He was also pretty dead to the leg. I'm probably riding him tomorrow (going to the barn anyway) so ill work with him on that.
And I'm getting my senior pictures done with him on Friday!!! I'm super excited. :)))

[Namikaze~Sin]

Just popping in really quick to make an announcement:
I RODE TODAY!!!!!
It was just walk/trot and leg yields, but it was amazing. I realized how big Thinker was lol but it felt so nice being back in the saddle. I couldn't stop smiling the entire time. I haven't gotten cleared by my dr yet, but I honestly do not care. I have an appointment Thursday, and I'm pretty sure he'll officially clear me. We went on a trail ride and even though Thinker is the worst trail horse ever it was still so much fun it's good to be back! I have to really work on him though because he was REALLY heavy in my hand and my hands were sore after I rode. He was also pretty dead to the leg. I'm probably riding him tomorrow (going to the barn anyway) so ill work with him on that.
And I'm getting my senior pictures done with him on Friday!!! I'm super excited. ))

Oh I'm so happy for you ^_^ that's great news, I really hope he does clear you ^_^ He seems like a lovely horse :3 I'd love to go trail riding!

I had my first few strides of gallop today, it felt pretty good and my confidence with riding has been going up and up. Hopefully the lunge lesson on monday will settle me to the rhythm of canter and I'll be all set for my assessment on thursday

[Hime]

@Coppertop11: I remember you.
Everyone has to move on from certain horse at somepoint. It's nice that you get to 'finish' with him in such good note though.
The first horse sounds like he was drugged on the first day really... And that he's training is seriously messed up, poor horse really.
Rosie looks nice. Her form on flat(especially in trot) could be little better though and I see she resisted to bit(opening her mouth) few times. So more flat work maybe? For some reason she also seems to jump with her head quite high, but that could just be me...

@Opal: Blah, that's not fun either... If you'd start with like one lesson every other week or once a month on the english, so that you won't miss riding JJ too much and maybe your mom could warm up to the idea little more(wishfull thinking?). By the way I can totally relate to that mom situation though. XD

@Horse-girl123: Yay, an Icelandic rider! Does she have any Icelandics of her own? If so ask if you could ride one some day. It's loads of fun, I assure you. ;D
He's called Tývar, he also has a 'surname' like most Icelandics, which I borrowed from L and it's the farm's offical name. Or that's my first choice on the papers, but there shouldn't be any reason why it's not okay. It just ended up being the most suitable for him. XD Like it was either Tývar or Stirnir and then later I also picked out Seidur. But Tývar somehow always spoke to me the most and first time when I saw him(after learning that the foal was a colt) I kinda instantly thought he's going to be called Tývar. Funny how things just click in the end.

@Opal: Ways to get rich fast? I could use one as well. Lottery is kinda long shot... XP Heta's insurance bill was a killer, plus now I have Tývar as well... Grande's being real sweet with you. <3 Let's hope it starts raining money someday. XD

@guns n' crue: Short term: Circles and one rein stop if she really get's out of hand. Lateral bending from my knowlegde rarely slows the horse down. As they'd need to be calm and collected before doing lateral stuff. Horse speeding off would most likely just keep running and trip/stumble if it tried to cross step.
Long term solution: Bit and mouth check. Transition work and heck load of re-training in general by the sound of it. She may not even understand to meaning of a half halt, which is another thing I'd do with speedy horse. Transitions you try to get her to calmly go to trot from walk, then trot maybe few steps and back to walk before she goes too fast.

@Sin: Ah yes, equine 'therapy' is the best medicine to everything. <3 L actually ordered one boarder, who complaid stress and all that, to go and sit in the pasture with the mares and foals for few hours and just observe the heard interact. The boarder ended up staying there for 4 hours I think. And I'm planing to do that one day as well. :3
Great, you did manage to get a lunge line lesson. Also good luck on the assessment beforehand in case I forget/don't type up anything before Thursday.

@New tack/riding stuff: I got new pair of jods in spring, I may have mentioned it already. They are Mountain Horse and I got them CHEAP. Like at least 50% off. o_o Like seriously, I Had to take them. They are pretty plain black, but the stitching is silver and there's decorative embroidary on the back pocket. They are pretty neat. :3
Then yesterday I went to tack store(they had sale going on), spent good hour and half there I think... I tried out two pairs of breeches(one with wide leg and other with slim, which what I usually don't try). They both fit me so well and I really loved the wide leged ones. But they both were sort of expensive, me no money or need for new pair(in theory I could use a lighter colored, which they both were). >_< I also tried out bunch of half chaps, but didn't quite find pair that I liked. Though few were almost half price and full leather.

@Vanilla Twilight: On the second pic your leg is really infront of your body=chair seat. Your upper body is also slightly tilted forward and maybe tiny tiny hollowing out the back(on the first pic it seems worse though). Your chin could be slightly more down or more like you could take your head back a little, if that makes any sense... Generally the line that should go straight from head-shoulder-hip-heel is really off. Think of pulling your whole body up from the back of your head where the skull and neck connect and generally focus on your posture. Then your legs... I think you may need to make your stirrups little longer or then it's just matter of learning to keep them at the right spot. You could try going stirrupless for while and see where they settle. Then put stirrups back again, there should be very little differance where and how your leg is now compaired to when going stirruples (that's if working on flat and not jumping, if jumping then hole or two shorter). How ever your hands look pretty good, so I do have something positive to say.

[gam]

One year ago I got my paint and now look at him! Critique on me please? I'm pretty sure I'm doing a few things wrong on the bottom picture and need to know how to improve!

Gorgeous horse! The top photo your upper body looks great, but your heels could stretch down a bit farther. The bottom picture, your horse has much better head carriage. Your heels are more down, and your upper body is again great, but your lower leg is slipped a little forwards, like a chair seat but it's pretty subtle. Just pull your leg back underneath you a bit more and sink into your heels so you're more balanced overall. :]

[Circean]

I get to go to horse camp soon and council! I'm so excited and I get to do it with gam! But in wont be going Monday because that's my birthday! c: and I can't go Thursday because starting Thursday ill be going places every day to different friends houses that u do every year! I'll make sure to write about the exciting events that happens the two days I can go!! c:

[sforzando.]

Thank you guys for helping, I've got to try the advice when I go back to ride. <3
I'd lunge her a ton and work on it, but we don't have a round pen. My grandfather keeps saying he'll get some, but obviously not because we don't have one.
Anybody have a reason as to why my mare keeps throwing her head up at anything faster than a walk? My mom and I have the same problem when trying to keep her trotting. She always brings her head up and it drives us insane. My mom said it's because she wants to knock the reins out of our hands and do what she wants, but I don't know. Her teeth were done only a few weeks ago, and it may be the bit, but I don't think so because she doesn't throw her head up when she's walking.

Edit: I forgot to add, my mom is going to get a martingale (maybe) for her, but the weird thing is, she always has her head lowered when she is walked around. I have yet to get her to trot with me running beside her, but I still need to keep trying I think. ._.